How’s your gut?
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Most holistic health practitioners believe our overall health begins with the gut.
If our gut is functioning at an optimum level then this has a knock on effect on every other system within the body. We feel energised, healthy and our skin glows.
I learned this first hand when I was diagnosed with candida overgrowth, some 15 years ago.
Changing my diet, lifestyle and getting my gut in balance turned my life and health around.
“Love your Gut” week takes place 22-28th August and calls itself the ‘digestive event of the year’!
Is your gut trying to tell you something? Do you get constipated, have diarrhoea, suffer with bloating, gas, IBS or stomach cramps? Are you overweight, lacking in energy or know you could be eating better?
Then why not make this week the week for some lifestyle changes?
Love your Gut week is supported by experts from chefs to stress counsellors.
Sophie Christy, personal trainer says “30 minutes of exercise, five times a week, is good for your body, soul – and gut!”
Dr Julian Kenyon reminds us “Relaxtion is an important key to health and wellbeing; try eliminating the stress from your life and this will help your gut too”.
Dr Simon Gabe says “A healthy digestive system is the basis for your overall health and wellbeing. Keep it functioning well with healthy food, regular exercise and a good work / life balance”.
What I love about this campaign is the overall holistic feel to the message. It isn’t just about what you eat, but about your lifestyle choices too. I know from experience that you can be eating a healthy diet, but if you’re not exercising or are too stressed, this can have a negative impact on the health of your gut.
As a young mother I experienced constipation for the first time in my life. I put it down to the fact that Little Miss Green was a large baby and I was small – I figured she had somehow’squashed’ my intestines. But then I realised that actually, I wasn’t giving myself TIME to attend to the calls of nature…I was so busy ‘being Mum’ that I no longer listened to the messages of my body and consequently I became constipated – it was a ‘tough’ lesson to learn in more ways than one!
Mrs green’s top tips for gut health:
Healthy food
Eat a healthy diet (make sure you eat at least 5 a day portions of fruit and vegetables each day and have 3 good meals daily), sit down to eat and chew your food well. Chewing releases enzymes which kick-start digestion
Increase fibre
Increase your fibre by upping your intake of fruits, vegetables, beans and wholegrain cereals.
Drink water
Drink 1 1/2 – 2 litres of water each day.
Exercise
Do 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week – you don’t have to pump iron at the gym, it’s easy to incorporate short walks and taking the stairs into your daily routine. Or try these brilliant exercises for gut health.
Reduce Stress
Meditate, walk in nature or try yoga. If you are particularly stressed get help from a trained counsellor.
Sleep
The body and brain are busy while you sleep so give them time to do their work!
Antibiotics
Although great at killing bad bacteria, antibiotics can cause havoc to gut health because they strip out ‘friendly’ bacteria too. Only take antibiotics if absolutely necessary. When you are taking them, cut out all forms of refined sugar or yeast from your diet and take a good quality probiotic supplement for a month or two.
What about you – what are your tips for a happy, healthy gut?
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Great Post!! I had no idea Aug 22-28 is Love Your Gut Week!!
As someone who struggles with Parasites and candida, I do all of your suggestions above. I do believe that sleep is very important. But….. When your candida is “acting up” sleep does not come easy. I did not sleep well until I got rid of the candida. Now, I fall asleep very easy. I even fall asleep in the car when riding, something I never did before. It is so unattractive to sleep with your mouth hanging open. LOL
@Terry (My Journey With Candida): Hi Terry; ah yes; this week should be right up your street! Glad your sleep is resolved; there’s nothing like a good night’s rest to get us feeling well and happy
Interesting post! 🙂
Heres my gut thoughts.
Stuarts tips for a Healthy Stuart Gut
Cut sugar out of your diet. For every product, check the label. If sugar is present, do not buy that item.
Cut out tinned foods, and processed foods. The fluffier and tastier the bread, the more highly processed it is likely to be. If the bread threatens to crack your teeth and generally looks like it is from the dark ages, it is probably fine.
Eat plenty of fruit, veg and nuts.
Cut out alcohol most of the time.
Eat kiwis and gojis, they are cheap superfoods.
Consider the benefits of colonic irrigation, at least as a one off. You can get a kit and do it at home. Make sure you have some probiotic product immediately after.
Take a fish oil capsule on days you eat no fish.
Exercise hard enough to sweat, often enough that it becomes part of your lifestyle.
Considering your gut health branches off into considering other ‘areas’ of your life I find. I could continue here about stress, sunlight etc but this is the basic list I try to stick to. I take it on
faith that it is doing (my gut specifically) some good having tried it all at first in order to shift psoriasis.
@Stuart: love your part about the bread; we have no idea what ‘real’ bread is like anymore do we. thanks for sharing all your wonderful tips.